June 22 Meeting Notes

Friends,

Thanks for another productive call.  What follows:

*    Next meeting time
*    To do's -- including a request of everyone
*    Next agenda
*    Call summary
*    Call details

NEXT MEETING TIME

Monday, July 6, 3:00pm PT/5:00pm CT/6:00pm

Note:  we have set up a call every other week at this time.  (Please weigh in if this doesn't work for you.)

Call-in number:  715.339.4300, 934546

TO DO's -- a  request of everyone
Post at http://journalismthatmatters.com/content/jtm-color-full-future:  Individuals and organizations you wish to invite.  Provide the name and 1-2 sentences about what they are doing.

If you have thoughts on location - either a place or criteria for choosing a place, post those ideas on the blog: http://journalismthatmatters.com/content/jtm-color-full-future.

NEXT AGENDA
Discuss who to invite
Identify desired outcomes
Discuss date and location, invitation

Notes:

*  The feeling was before an invitation is drafted, more clarity on who to invite and desired outcomes is needed.  
*  Covering these topics may span several calls.

CALL SUMMARY

Attending:  Sybril Bennett, Melissa Cornick, Michelle Ferrier, Peggy Holman, Mark Jones, Linda Jue, Italena Lopez, Manuel Maqueda

Most of the call focused on aspects of designing the gathering.  Items to consider:

*    Highlight who is coming as part of the pre-conference work, making visible to funders and other conference goers the good work people of color are doing.
*    As people register, gather not just bios and the questions they hope to explore, but also initiatives they are pursuing.  Also ask them what are the gifts you are bringing?
*    Orient to values and principles of journalism that matters as part of the opening.
*    Re-visit these themes and what surfaces each day as part of the transitions from day to day.
*    Support people in meeting each other.
*    Have the last day be about coaching, with those ready to make pitches presenting.  Perhaps they present to a panel that is a mix of people - e.g., venture capitalist, foundation person, angel investor, other skills.  As the panel provides feedback, everyone gets the benefit of hearing their counsel.
*    Work with funders beforehand so that we can make visible what they look for in proposals - to inform, but not squelch creativity.
*    Don't make seed money a central focus.  The risk is replacing cooperation and creativity with a race for the money.  Find a creative way to connect projects with funders post-conference.
*    Plan for translation into at least English and Spanish so that we model a viable multi-lingual format.

Through this conversation, the purpose of the gathering is getting clearer:
To bring together primarily people of color who are actively engaged in the emerging news ecology and either are or wish to join with others in creative initiatives for doing journalism that matters.


CALL DETAILS

About the meeting design:

Michelle summarized the basic shape of the meeting:

Opening afternoon - more traditional, with guided conversations setting the stage for gathering - focused on purpose, content areas of high interest, involving invited guests as session hosts,

Day 2 - an open space on what we want to create,

Day 3 - oriented towards work teams,

Last half day - coaching/pitch day and wrap up.

As noted near the end of the call:  if we do this right and each day builds on the other, there will be momentum.  People will leave bursting with ideas.


Linda suggested that we orient the first day towards values and principles of journalism that matters so that it informs project work.

Sybril brought up the challenge of time away from the office.  We agreed that starting on a Thursday afternoon and ending on Sunday is a viable approach.

Melissa suggested we do something on the first day to help bring in new people.   And before the gathering, highlight some of the projects different participants are doing.

Michelle suggested that we ask people to identify projects they are doing.  She thought a key product that hasn't been formal outcome of JTM is some kind of document of what the projects are.  We might offer an outline for what people consider:  a design, preliminary budget, legal issues, ethical issues, etc.  Get them thinking along core values but rif on that in a different way.

In answer to Mark's question about inviting the whole system, Michelle identified some of the ecosystem that we wish to invite: journalists, programmers, educators, technologists, venture capitalists, government agencies that might fund, engineers, artists, content experts.

Linda added that we are still focused on people of color.

Mark asked how we would define the boundary of who we want at the table.

Michelle responded that we want work teams that can develop products.  Validation with audiences, ad streams or other online revenues could happen later.

Melissa suggested this could unfold in stages before the conference.

Peggy brought up the caution that seed money available at the gathering could distract participants from cooperation and creativity.  If we raise seed money, it would be better handled as part of a larger flow of activity -- after the conference itself.

Linda reminded us that funders will be reluctant to participate if they feel they'll be the center of attention, with everyone wanting something from them.  

Michelle suggested we set up a panel on the last day of different types of funders and people with other skills who coach those with projects.

Linda thought that was a great idea:  "If you have a group session where the entire group includes funders to do coaching, it makes for some good synergy and is less intimidating for funders who fear they will be pitched all the time."

Melissa noted that for the pitch day, we may want to ask people to sign non-disclosure agreements.  She also indicated that live-streaming wouldn't work.

About who to invite:

Linda: This isn't for beginners.  We need to develop some criteria.  I don't want to be so specific we leave people out.  Just clear criteria on what we want.

Michelle: everybody comes with a level of knowledge that contributes something.  I want them to show up and find a place.  

Linda:  I am not interested in people who are just coming out of the newsroom and figuring out the new landscape.  I want to come together with people who have been at it for a while.  That's a discussion we don't have enough of.  

Peggy:  Should we consider invitation rather than open enrollment?

Mark:  Can we design for both?  Here's the tension: there are people on the spectrum of knowledge and expertise around these topics.  Some are experts, ready to create a project and get it funded. Some are just coming out of the newsroom and asking what's happening.    There are three approaches: target expertise and depth.  Another is design for the general public.  The third way is where my question lies: is there a design for people to go into depth and newbies to have a valuable experience?

Linda:  The purpose is to create projects as opposed to education.  

Getting specific about who to invite:

Melissa:  Bruce Lincoln, professor at Columbia doing hyperlocal in Jackson, MS, online news channel, new media projects.

There are lots of cutting edge people doing interesting projects.

Linda:  everyone on this call has things they're working on.

Melissa:  Native Americans are doing some cutting edge projects

Manuel:  Latino, Spanish speaking communities have a lot of interesting media projects using video, cell phones, cutting edge.  The list I'd make is from this universe.  It would depend on whether there is a track in Spanish language.  

Melissa:  Separate tracks cuts others off from understanding what's happening.  NAHJ, conversation for Unity, had separate workshops.  Didn't work well.

Linda:  I would be interested in hearing Spanish speakers.  Could we handle this through translations, interpreters?

Manuel:  I was at a conference at the Annenberg Journalism school.  They had professional interpreters.  It was an excellent job.  Some presenters were able to present in English. Some attendees needed interpreters.  It allows attendees to get the whole of the conference.  I think the interpreters donated their time.

Linda:  That would be a plus for anyone we want to fund this if we could penetrate the language barrier.

Melissa:  There are a lot of languages we'd have to deal with.

Linda:  If we find media innovators, it would be worth it.

Mark:  The difference between this conference and mainstream, dominant culture, we're attempting to inhabit issues of diversity in an open, useful way.  We don't have a specific template known to us, this is exactly how to do it.  We say we're going to have cultural and language diversity, then we could begin to set some principles to guide us.  If we have a group that wants a language track, we have interpretation available.  We just hit this head on and don't hide it.  People from dominant culture who do participate, get a different way to deal with it.

Linda:  It puts some responsibility on us.  


About highlighting people and projects before the conference

Melissa:  People of color are largely unknown to established or corporate sponsors.  What about having some connection before the conference: what kinds of groups, bloggers in attendance, what they're names are, who they are.    Have funders, those in power, be familiar with who is coming.  All the participants of color need to have some kind of known factor.   We can do something earlier focusing on 20 people, here's what they do.  Promote them a little more.

Michelle: depending on number of people, there are a few interesting electronic ways to do that.  As well as evening dinner and food activities to mix people up a bit.

Linda; It is about identifying movers and shakers who are not getting attention now. Playing that up. Especially to get funders interested.  

Melissa:  It is the subtext.  No one deals with that.  Grey areas are where the stumbles are.  

Michelle: On the web site, we can do featured profiles of who is coming to conference.   We can also ask people what are the gifts you bringing?

Mark:  We can integrate that element each day.  Something occurs each day that continues to work this edge around people of color being visible.

Linda:  Yes, along with follow through on the themes from the first day.  One big theme: we're people of color, we're on the cutting edge and you need to know what we're doing.

Michelle:  We can do some specific processes to be sure everyone meets - for example, the energy design process, like speed dating.